As she stood in front of her 5th grade
class on the very first day of school,
she told the children a lie.

Like most teachers, she looked at her students
 and said that she loved them all the same.
 But that was impossible, because there 
in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy
 named Teddy Jones. Mrs. Smith had watched
Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't
 play well with the other children, that his clothes
 were messy and that he constantly needed a bath 
and Teddy could be unpleasant. 

It got to the point where Mrs. Smith would actually
take delight in marking his papers with a broad
red pen, making bold X's and then putting a
big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Smith taught, she was
required to review each child's past records and
she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she
reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright
child with a ready laugh. He does his work
neatly and has good manners... 
he is a joy to be around." 

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent
 student, well-liked by his classmates, but he is troubled
 because his mother has a terminal illness and life
 at home must be a struggle." 
 

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has
 been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father
doesn't show much interest and his home life will
soon affect him if some steps aren't taken." 

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn
and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't
have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Smith realized the problem and she
was ashamed of herself.
She felt even worse when her students brought her
Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and
bright paper, except for Teddy's. 

His was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown
 paper that he got from the grocery bag. Mrs. Smith
took pains to open it in the middle of the
other presents. Some of the children started to
 laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet
with some of the stones missing and a bottle that
was one quarter full of perfume. 

But she stifled the children's laughter when she
 exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on
 and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. 

Teddy Jones stayed after school that day just
 long enough to say, "Mrs. Smith, today you smelled
just like my Mom used to." 

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On 
that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and 
arithmetic. 

Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Smith  paid particular attention to Teddy. 

As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive.
The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.
 By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of
the smartest children in the class and despite the lie,
 that she loved all children the same, 
Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from
Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher
he ever had in his whole life. 


Six years went by before she got another note from
Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school,
 third in his class and she was still the best teacher
 he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter,
 saying that while things had been tough
at times, he'd stayed in school, had
stuck with it, and would soon graduate
from college with the highest of honors.

He assured Mrs. Smith
 that she was still the best and favorite teacher
 he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. 
This time, he explained that after he got his
bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further.
The letter explained that she was still the best and
favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was
a little longer...the letter was signed, 
Theodore F. Jones, MD.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was
yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd
 met this girl and was going to be married.
He explained that his father had died a couple
 of years ago and he was wondering if
Mrs. Smith might agree 
to sit in the place at the wedding that was
 usually reserved for the mother of the groom. 

Of course, Mrs. Smith  did. And guess what?
She wore that bracelet, the one with the several
 rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was
wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his 
mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other and Dr. Jones whispered in
 Mrs. Smith's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Smith  for
believing in me. Thank you so much for making
 me feel important and showing me that
I could make a difference." 

Mrs. Smith, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. 
She said, "Teddy, you have it wrong. You were the
one who taught me that I could make a difference. 
I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
~*~*~Author unknown~*~*~


Warm someone's heart today....pass this along!

Please remember that wherever you go and
whatever you do, you will have the opportunity
to touch and /or change a person's 
outlook on life.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet
when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

Thank you for being that friend to myself
 and others who enjoy receiving that daily lift!

Our faith in Christ enables us to live above
our circumstances, not under them!

Deuteronomy 3:28  But charge Joshua, and encourage him,
and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this
people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land
 which thou shalt see.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which
 hath begun a good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ:

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